The current scenario of furoxan hybrids with anticancer potential

Abstract

Cancer is one of the most common and deadliest diseases affecting millions of human beings globally. Treatment of cancer has achieved great advancements, and chemotherapy remains one of the most important means. However, the chemotherapy suffers from apparent limitations including drug resistance, systemic toxicity, adverse effects, and tumor recurrence, creating an urgent demand to develop novel anticancer chemotherapeutics. Furoxan derivatives could exert anticancer activity via releasing high concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), which could induce cellular apoptosis, arrest cell cycle, inhibit the migration and invasion of cells, and suppress angiogenesis. Hence, furoxan derivatives demonstrated potent in vitro and in vivo anticancer efficiency. In particular, furoxan hybrids, combination of other anticancer pharmacophores with furoxan moiety, demonstrated significant therapeutic effects on various cancers including drug‐resistant forms since these derivatives could act on multiple targets in cancer cells simultaneously. Accordingly, furoxan hybrids constitute an important source in the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents with anticancer activity. This review is to highlight the current scenario of furoxan hybrids with anticancer potential, covering articles published from 2012 to present. The structure–activity relationships and mechanisms of action are discussed to continuously open up a map for the remarkable exploration of more effective candidates.